County profile

Okeechobee County

Florida · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
40,816
Median household income
$57,984
People below poverty
18%
Median home value
$193,000

Income

The median income of households in Okeechobee County, Florida was $57,984. An estimated 7.7% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 4.2% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 7.7
$10,000 to $14,999 3.3
$15,000 to $24,999 8.9
$25,000 to $34,999 8.8
$35,000 to $49,999 15.6
$50,000 to $74,999 17.8
$75,000 to $99,999 13.9
$100,000 to $149,999 13.5
$150,000 to $199,999 6.5
$200,000 or more 4.2

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 53633
Female 46457

An estimated 65.2% of households received earnings. An estimated 40.4% of households received Social Security and an estimated 23 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $23,021. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 65.2
Social Security 40.4
Retirement income 23
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 6.4
Cash public assistance income 3.2

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 18 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 25.2% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 13.8% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 16.7% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 18
Children under 18 years below poverty 25.2
People 65 years old and over below poverty 13.8
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 16.7

In 2020-2024, 16.4 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 53.7% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 48.8% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 24.1% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024, 82.8% had health insurance coverage and 17.2% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 47.6% and public coverage was 46.2%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 12.5%.


In 2020-2024, Okeechobee County, Florida had a total population of 40,816 - 18,997 (46.5%) females and 21,819 (53.5%) males. The median age was 40.8 years. An estimated 21.4% of the population was under 18 years, 30.7% was 19 to 44 years, 25.2% was 45 to 64 years, and 20 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 1168 1093
5 to 9 1407 1018
10 to 14 1219 1048
15 to 19 1583 1287
20 to 24 1075 923
25 to 29 1431 1169
30 to 34 1410 1374
35 to 39 1755 704
40 to 44 1219 1462
45 to 49 1273 893
50 to 54 1418 1204
55 to 59 1712 920
60 to 64 1305 1577
65 to 69 1000 1369
70 to 74 1012 883
75 to 79 845 847
80 to 84 522 817
85 and over 465 409

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 69.1% were White; 7.7% were Black or African American; 10.9% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.8% were Asian; 3.5% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 15.3% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 26.1% of the people in Okeechobee County, Florida were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 61.8% of the people in Okeechobee County, Florida were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 15,113 households in Okeechobee County, Florida. The average household size was 2.52 people.

Married-couple households made up 47.6% of the households in Okeechobee County, Florida while cohabiting couple households made up 8.3% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 25.1% of all households, while 19% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 13.1% of households were male householders living alone, and 16.1% were female householders living alone, for a total of 29.2% of all households.

In Okeechobee County, Florida, 29.3% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 38.4% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 47.6
Cohabiting Couples 8.3
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
19
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
25.1

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 47% of males and 47.2% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 32.1 26.9
Now married, except separated 47 47.2
Separated 2.4 1.9
Widowed 5.5 13.4
Divorced 13 10.6

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Okeechobee County, Florida, 1,329 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 55.8% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 86.6% of the people living in Okeechobee County, Florida were U.S. natives. 52.2% of the Okeechobee County, Florida population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 13.4% of Okeechobee County, Florida residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 49.1% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 75 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Okeechobee County, Florida come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Okeechobee County, Florida.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 81.5
Asia 4.7
Europe 8.9
Africa 0.2
Northern America 4.7
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024, 22.4 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 19.8% of people at least five years old; 7.5% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 19.8
Other Indo-European languages 1.9
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.3
Other languages 0.5

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 87.4 % of the people at least one year old living in Okeechobee County, Florida were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 87.4
Different house, same county 3.9
Different county, same state 6.1
Different state 1.8
Abroad 0.9

Education

In 2020-2024, 80.2 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 15.8% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 19.8% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Okeechobee County, Florida was 8,630 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 663 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 6,495. College or graduate school enrollment was 1,472.

Educational Attainment of People in Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 19.8
High school diploma or equivalency 35
Some college, no degree 21.2
Associate's degree 8.1
Bachelor's degree 10.5
Graduate or professional degree 5.3

Disability

In Okeechobee County, Florida, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 20.3 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 12.4% of people under 18 years old, to 15.1% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 43.2% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Okeechobee County, Florida, 47.8 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 49.9% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 74% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 19.4% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 6.4 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 11,808 74
Federal, state, or local government workers 3,096 19.4
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 1,016 6.4

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Okeechobee County, Florida worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 6.1
Construction 12
Manufacturing 3.2
Wholesale trade 1.8
Retail trade 13.1
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.6
Information 0.8
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.5
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 8.6
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 20.3
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 11.4
Other Services, except public administration 4.4
Public administration 10.3

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 4,781 30
Service occupations 3,743 23.5
Sales and office occupations 3,068 19.2
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 2,588 16.2
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 1,779 11.1

Commuting to Work

An estimated 74% of Okeechobee County, Florida workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 12.9% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 28.4 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 74
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 12.9
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 1.1
Walked 1.7
Other means 3.6
Worked from home 6.6

In 2020-2024, Okeechobee County, Florida had a total of 18,572 housing units. Of these housing units, 52.3% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 6.6% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 38.9% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 52.3
Apartments in multi-unit structures 6.6
Mobile homes 38.9
Boat, RV, van, etc 2.1

7.8% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 1.2% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Okeechobee County, Florida was 4.9 rooms, and of these housing units 50% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Okeechobee County, Florida had 15,113 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 3,459 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 73.9% while renters occupied 26.1%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.51 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.54.

4.8% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 6.9% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 4.7% and another 16.3% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Okeechobee County, Florida:

House Heating Fuel Used in Okeechobee County, Florida in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 3.9
Electricity 92.4
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.2
All other fuels 0.2
No fuel used 3.3

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Okeechobee County, Florida was $193,000.

Of the owner-occupied households, 43.1 % had a mortgage. 56.9% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,489 and for owners without a mortgage it was $430.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Okeechobee County, Florida was $1,082. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.